August 28, 2013

A Cape Coral motorist is accused of striking a man with her van and seriously injuring him.

Deborah Ann Dupuie, 45, of 3021 S.E. 18th Place, was arrested and charged Sunday with one count each of hit and run fail to stop remain at crash involve injury, hit and run leave scene of crash involve damage to property, drive with expired license for more than six months, operate motor vehicle without valid license, drive while license suspended, drive while license suspended death serious injury and drive without license causes death serious injury with vehicle.

She was also charged with two counts of resist officer obstruct without violence.

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Deborah Ann Dupuie

As of Tuesday, Dupuie had been released from the Lee County Jail.

At about 10 p.m. July 6, a man attempted to cross San Carlos Boulevard in the 16000 block when he was hit by a vehicle. The man, Jon D. Clark, 41, of 406 Zuni Trail, Fort Myers, was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office report.

Clark's condition was unknown as of Tuesday.

Dupuie was driving north on San Carlos in a 2008 Ford van when she saw a blur and believed that she had struck something. She stated that she exited the vehicle to look for what she may have hit, but she found nothing. Dupuie then stopped at a store to call 911 but was unable to, the report states.

She reportedly drove home to the Cape to call 911, passing several open businesses on her way.

The LCSO delayed pressing charges to see how Clark fared, according to officials.

"We were waiting to make sure the man that she hit survived the crash," spokeswoman Tiffany Wood said Tuesday. "We just wanted to wait and make sure we were charging her with the correct thing."

Clark was apparently found at fault for the accident for violation of right of way.

The report states that he attempted to cross in an area not designed for pedestrian traffic.